In my experience, lesson styles vary a lot depending on the instructor, so I like to double check the instructor profile, reviews, and intro video for clues. Do they speak any English, or have they indicated that they don’t speak/use English in their lessons? Do they have experience teaching beginners? These details can help you know what to expect and how to prepare for the lesson. If they don’t have these things listed in their bio, you can always message the instructor and ask them more about their teaching style to see if it fits your needs.
Some instructors will ask you to choose the topic ahead of time, and sometimes the professional instructors will prepare a list of helpful vocabulary for you or a material for you to theme the conversation around (pictures, a short article). Others will ask you at the beginning of the lesson what you’d like to talk about, but will have some topics ready to suggest if you don’t have anything particular in mind. I suggest messaging your instructor ahead of the lesson to ask what they are expecting!
Here are some common topics I remember from my first lessons with different teachers:
- Basic self-introduction including details such as name, occupation/year in school, hometown, etc.
- What do you like to do for fun? Do you have any hobbies?
- How are you studying Japanese? Do you have any specific goals?
- What is your town/city like?
- What was your favorite subject in school/major in college? What do you like about it?
A good instructor will support and guide you through the conversation. They’ll be flexible and adapt to your needs, repeating things or speaking more slowly if necessary. They’ll help you when you can’t think of the right word and type it into the chat box so you can read it too. They’ll choose a topic for you if you don’t have one in mind. No need to have it all together - their job is to help you, not to grade you! Best of luck on your first lesson, I hope it’s really encouraging!